Entertainment

How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch

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Just about everyone has heard of the elevator pitch – that succinct summation of what you do that piques the interest of a potential customer or investor. Of course, in the Internet age, the elevator pitch has been shortened to the escalator pitch, then the Twitter pitch. As a result, a person has to adapt to the situation they're in.

So, what do you do when you’re hit with the inevitable question "what do you do?” Do you captivate strangers right off the bat? Do you get people asking questions, or following up with you later?

One of the most important things a businessperson can do is learn how to speak about what they do. Here are five tips to help anyone perfect their pitch and network like the pros.

1. Find the Sweet Spot

One of the key mistakes people make when answering what they do is to automatically start at the macro level, with their industry or job category. For example: “I’m in IT,” or “I’m in social media.”

While such broad descriptions may be true, they’re far too abstract. You can be sure that the less specific your answer, the more likely that the other person’s eyes are glazing over. Instead of dealing in vague descriptions, focus on the problems you solve… “my clients are typically struggling to…and I help them…” By talking about how you help people, your job or business becomes instantly relatable.

Remember, your cocktail pitch doesn’t need to tell your entire story; it doesn’t even need to cover all the important points. A great pitch succeeds if it draws interest from the other person and gets them to want to know more.

2. Speak Like a Human Being

Yes, you should prepare and practice your pitch, but it should always be simple, natural, and in plain English. And if you find yourself stuck on the receiving end of a stuffy, jargon-filled elevator pitch, try to shift the dynamic with a question like, “so what does that mean?”

3. Exude Confidence

Whether you’re dating or networking, confidence is a major turn-on. When answering what you do, don’t mumble through the response. Definitely never sound as if you’re apologizing.

Yes, in the digital age, people can have incredibly niche roles and it’s all easy to assume that others won’t understand or won’t care about your augmented reality company. By making that assumption you’ve lost their interest before ever opening your mouth. No matter how obscure your job or company, begin with the assumption that the other person will be interested.

4. Ask Questions

Sometimes we become so focused on how to answer basic questions that we forget to actually make conversation. The best way to be remembered is to build a connection. For this reason, never consider the other person “your audience.” Ask them a few questions as well.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

While some people may look like natural networkers, in actuality, very few create a perfect pitch on the fly. Practice in your head, in front of the mirror, or a video camera. Then try it out on a group of friends or colleagues, and ask what specific points they remember. That instant feedback will help you determine what to cut or change in order to make a connection and be memorable.

And don't worry about making mistakes. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn through trial and error. The best way to improve is to just practice. You never know whom you’ll meet and what opportunities that will bring your way.

This May, Mashable will be be exploring the future of digital marketing at our signature conference, Mashable Connect. See below for all of the details."

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